When the Tang Dynasty's 50,000 soldiers witnessed the eldest grandson of the emperor personally carrying sandbags to fill the moat, they immediately displayed formidable fighting power.

They were seen in groups of three to five, with the one at the front holding a shield to protect those behind him from arrows.

The sharpshooters in the Tang army, under the cover of the shield bearers, also fired arrows at the city walls. Their aim was not to kill the enemies on the walls, but to suppress them with an extremely high rate of fire, preventing them from having a chance to aim and fire safely.

Li Jue carried the shields three times in a row. On the fourth time, he noticed that there were too many shield bearers blocking his way, and he immediately cursed impatiently.

"Get out of my way, don't block my view!"

However, the number of shield bearers did not decrease; on the contrary, it increased.

Li Shimin caught up with Li Jue and laughed and scolded him.

"Stop arguing! They're not protecting you, they're protecting me!"

"ah?"

Li Jue looked at Li Er, who was chasing after him with sandbags on his back, his face full of surprise and confusion.

"Grandpa, you..."

"Silly boy, learn from me..."

"When running with sandbags on your back, you should place the sandbags sideways in front of your head, and also turn your body slightly to the side to avoid being shot by the enemy!"

"Just like me..."

"Oh oh oh..."

"Also, when running, try to bend your waist a bit, don't run straight..."

"Oh oh oh..."

Listening to Li Shimin's explanation and observing his actions, Li Jue was secretly surprised. He realized that ancient siege warfare wasn't all about sending soldiers to their deaths; there were many techniques to reduce casualties...

Ordinary people would naturally not understand the significance of doing this.

But Li Jue was no ordinary person; he instantly grasped the key points Li Shimin had emphasized.

The reason for turning sideways is simply to reduce the surface area exposed to force and to avoid hitting vital parts of the body. The reason for bending over is even easier to understand: it also reduces one's size, making it less likely for enemies on the city wall to shoot at one.

Li Jue looked around at the other people and saw that these veterans were all like that; not one of them was foolish enough to carry sandbags and rush forward.

"Grandpa, I didn't know there was a technique to carrying sandbags!"

Li Shimin laughed heartily upon hearing this.

"certainly!"

"Actually, there are many other tips. For example, you can't wear fancy clothes; it's best to wear the same clothes as the other soldiers. You can't be special; it's not appropriate for us to have a dozen or so shield bearers."

"If I were the commander of Liaodong City, I would immediately order my soldiers to fire at us, or to use catapults to pelt us."

Upon hearing this, Li Jue laughed heartily and replied.

"Because we both look like big fish, hahaha!"

Li Shimin also burst into laughter upon hearing this.

"right!"

"A big fish!"

"Get out of the way..."

Li Shimin shoved Li Jue aside again, letting him dodge an arrow, and then dragged him frantically outside.

"You're such a worry! The first priority on the battlefield is to stay focused, to be extremely focused on the enemy's movements!"

Li Jue was secretly filled with lingering fear; his grandfather had saved him twice today.

"Grandson will remember!"

Li Shimin did not rush to carry sandbags. For him, it was good enough to set an example for the soldiers; there was no need to treat himself as a mere soldier.

So Li Shimin pulled Li Jue to a spot outside Liaodong City's firing range and pointed at the soldiers charging on the battlefield.

"Look at them, these are all veterans who have survived countless battles!"

"Even when they were running away and couldn't see at all, they could still locate enemies by sound and dodge their arrows!"

Upon hearing this, Li Jue looked and saw that a soldier, while carrying a sandbag sideways, had rolled away to dodge an arrow shot at him.

"Grandpa, they're amazing!"

Li Shimin said with a hint of pride upon hearing this.

"certainly!"

"These are the best soldiers I have ever selected!"

"However, that soldier was quite skilled, and he looked rather young. Once the moat is filled in, call him over and give him a good reward!"

"promise!"

Under Li Shimin's leadership, the Tang soldiers filled the moat in just one day.

Of course, it wasn't completely filled; only one side was filled to facilitate the Tang Dynasty's cavalry charge.

Li Shimin's rewards came quickly: all soldiers who had made meritorious contributions in the daytime charge, regardless of their original rank, were awarded a promotion for military merit.

Li Shimin personally bestowed wine and meat upon the soldier who had performed exceptionally well, and even recruited him as a personal guard.

"Young man, what's your name?"

"Your Majesty, this humble servant is Xue Rengui!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin laughed heartily.

"Great name!"

"You're destined for wealth and privilege, hahaha!"

Unlike Li Shimin's politeness, Li Jue genuinely felt his eyelids twitch.

"Xue Rengui?"

"You are Xue Rengui?"

Xue Rengui held a cup in one hand and a leg of lamb in the other, looking at Li Jue with a puzzled expression.

"Does the eldest grandson of the legitimate wife know me?"

"know……"

Li Juexin thought to himself, "It's not just that we know each other, I can even sing along!"

Ah~~~ my wife, Wang Shi Bao~~ Chuan~~~

You are pitiful, confined to your cold cave; you are pitiful, all alone.

I, Xue Nanpinggui, have been waiting for you for a full eighteen years...

Li Shimin was very surprised by Li Jue's behavior, thinking to himself, "Could this grandson really have heard of Xue Rengui?"

Although Xue Rengui was incredibly powerful in his later years, that was still in his later stages. At least in Li Shimin's eyes now, he was just an outstanding common soldier.

This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!